A Boy In Need
by Super-sonic Iblish
Summary: Knuckles is a young echidna who only wishes to be adopted, along with is roommate Sonic, who's already been adopted. But when Knuckles is finally adopted, is adoptive father is cruel and abusive. Knuckels escapes, but with injuries...where does he go?
1. Chapter 1

Copyright: Sonic and the crew belong to Sega.

_This story's mainly about Knuckles. It's rated T, just because of the brutality and blood in later chapters, and a bit of swearing, just to get the point across._

A Boy In Need 

A young, 11-year-old red echidna named Knuckles ran down the hall, excitement brewing in his eyes, with the good news he had just heard. He ran past room after room, letting out a short "yahoo!" as he leapt a few feet into the air and landed in front of the door to his dorm. He opened the door and swung it open fast, and the moment he got inside, he shouted to his roommate.

"Sonic, I got adopted!" he cried happily. His roommate, and best friend, a 10-year-old blue hedgehog, looked up from his suitcase to his friend, a warm smile upon his face. Sonic had also just found out that he was going to be adopted. A nice family, with one 6-year-old son, was going to become his mom, dad, and brother.

"That's great!" Sonic cried, ecstatic for his friend as he ran up to him, careful not to use his super speed, since Knuckles didn't like when he used it, and hugged him tight.

"How'd it go? You were only in there for around 5 minutes," Sonic asked, letting go and sitting on his bed, motioning Knuckles to sit next to him. He did, and then he explained what happened in the adoption center.

"Well, only the father came to see me, but he said that he has a wife and two kids, a boy and a girl," Knuckles explained. "He asked me if…"

"_So, tell me Knuckles, what is it you like to do?" the man asked. The man who later was to become his father was a tall man, probably about age 35. He was slightly chubby around the middle, and sort of reeked like beer, but Knuckles didn't want to mention it._

_Knuckles fidgeted nervously in his seat, and thought back to what Sonic had said. "Tell them EVERYTHING. Don't leave out a single detail, and don't try to sugarcoat things. You don't want them to either adopt you, or skip over you, because of something you don't like or do." He knew how to answer.  
>"Well, I like to read… and, um… I like to box… you know, like boxing, and… uh… I like to do art, a little," he replied.<em>

_The man, named George, shifted in his seat and put a hand to his unshaven chin. "Well then, tell me, how would you, and others, describe yourself as?" he asked._

"_W-well, I don't know… maybe a little quiet?" Knuckles replied. "I kind of keep to myself a lot… but that doesn't mean I won't bond with your daughter and son!" Knuckles worriedly added. But instead of George making a face at his last statement, he smiled._

"_Do you take orders well, are you loyal?" George asked hopefully. Knuckles gave George a complex look. "It's my wife; she can just bark orders sometimes!" George clarified. He made his voice squeaky like a female's, and spoke again. "She'd be like 'clean up the dishes now!' or 'I want this house to look spotless, we have company over tonight!' kind of thing."_

_Knuckles was a bit surprised by his question, but he answered it. "Y-yeah, I guess I could take orders."_

_George shifted in his seat, and a smile came onto his face, that sort of gave Knuckles a chill, but he ignored it._

"_I knew it, I knew I've made a good choice!" he said, and he took Knuckles' small hand in his big one. "You see, both me and my wife like things kind of quiet, and you fit the bill my boy," he said. Knuckles gasped excitedly.  
>"Y-you mean-!"<em>

_George nodded and spoke. "How would you like to come home and live with me and my family?" he asked him. Knuckles couldn't hold in his excitement._

"_Yes yes YES!" he cried, jumping up and down._

"That's it?" Sonic asked Knuckles. Knuckles gave him a quizzical look.

"W-well yeah, that's it. Why?" he asked him.

"Well, when my family interviewed me, it took at least a half an hour. They asked me my hobbies, what my grades are like, my super speed, my likes and dislikes, if I have any allergies, my favorite things. Then I asked questions about them, like what their family is like, where they live, what school I'd be going to, if they like to travel… that was a lot more than what you two talked about," Sonic told Knuckles. The little echidna was growing slightly worried now. "If I were you, I'd reconsider this guy," Sonic continued. "He sounds like he doesn't really care that much about you. And asking you if you can take orders… a little suspicious there buddy," Sonic pointed out, "You sure this guy isn't a serial killer?" Knuckles stammered a response.

"B-but… I'm almost a teenager, and you know how hard it is for teenagers to be adopted," Knuckles replied. Sonic scooted closer and hugged his friend.

"It's ok, I'm not saying you shouldn't let this guy adopt you. I'm just saying that you should be careful, is all. When're you leaving?" Sonic asked.

"Tomorrow, same as you," Knuckles replied. Sonic hugged his friend again, smiling.

"Well, as long as your promise to stay safe," Sonic said to him. Knuckles smiled, and laid a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it to calm the hedgehog.

"I will be," he said quietly in reply.

_See, that wasn't too bad! Just wait until later chapters! Knuxie isn't gonna be so happy later..._

_Knuckles: What?_

_Nothing! =^.^=_


	2. Chapter 2

Knuckles awoke to Sonic shaking him, and calling his name frantically. He moaned and rolled over, mumbling "It's the weekend, 10 more minutes!" as he pulled his pillow over his head.

"But Knuckles, my family's here! I want you to meet them!" Sonic wined. Immediately, Knuckles sat up in bed.

"Well why didn't you say that first? C'mon, let's go!" he exclaimed, standing up and grabbing Sonic's wrist. Sonic let out a small "whoa" as Knuckles yanked him away, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas.

The two ran out into the main hallway, and stopped at the entrance, and Sonic looked around.

"There they are!" Sonic cried, pointing to a family walking into the office. It was a family of foxes. The mother was a golden brown colored fox, with a white muzzle and light blue eyes. The father was an orange fox with a light grey/white muzzle, tail tip, and belly, with black ear tips and green eyes. Walking behind them, holding his mother's hand, was a small fox, who was Sonic's new little brother. He was a light orange fox with a white muzzle, belly, and tail tip, with big, light blue eyes. What was odd that he had two tails instead of one. The three walked up to them.

"Heya sport!" the dad said, ruffling Sonic's fur.

"Knuckles, this is my new family, the Prower family," Sonic introduced. "This is my friend, Knuckles the echidna," he said to the family.

"Hi, nice to meet you Knuckles!" the mother said. "I am Lorena, this is my husband Ricky, and our son Miles," she said, gesturing tithe other father and son foxes.

"Mom, you know I want you ta call me Tails!" Miles mumbled quietly.

"Nice to meet you," Knuckles replied. He turned to Sonic. "I can't believe you're leaving! Hope you enjoy your new family! They seem great!" he said to him.

"Aw, I'll miss you too bud!" Sonic said, and he hugged him tight. Sonic broke away fast. "Oh, wait... here," he said, digging into his pocket and pulling out a folded piece of paper, then handing it to him.

"What is it?" Knuckles asked as he took it and opened it.

"It's the phone number and address of where our house is," Sonic replied, "Maybe your family could take you over for a visit sometime?"

"Thanks Sonic!" Knuckles said, stuffing it in his pocket and smiling. He hugged Sonic again for good measure.

"Well, you ready to go?" Lorena asked, "We've already got the release papers signed."

"Yeah!" Sonic replied.

"Oh wait, where's your things?" Ricky asked.

"Ho shoot, left em in my room!" Sonic said. "Be right back!" he said, and he was gone in a flash.

"Wooow! He really is fast!" Tails exclaimed. Knuckles chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, he's a speedy guy; it's getting him to slow down, that's the trick!" he said. Within seconds, Sonic was back with his two small suitcases stuffed with his clothes and other things.

"Ready now?" Ricky asked. Sonic nodded.

"Let's go!" he exclaimed. Knuckles moved out of the way as they turned towards the door, then followed them outside.

Sonic put his suitcase in the trunk and turned back to Knuckles. He cracked another one of his smiles and came up to him, hugging the echidna again.

"Bye! Please stay safe!" Knuckles murmured over his shoulder. He sniffed, hoping Sonic wouldn't notice that he was at the point of crying.

"Same to you Knux!" Sonic said, then letting go of his friend. "Seeya around!" Sonic half walked, half skipped up to the car and got in next to Tails in the back. He buckled up and waved to Knuckles. Tails waved too, shouting "bye," as they drove away. Knuckles watched the car drive away, and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Bye," he mumbled, and he turned and walked inside.

Knuckles was packing up his own things, after receiving the call that his family was on their way there. He packed up his few outfits, the stuffed bear that he'd had since he was dumped there as a baby, a few pictures, and the few toys he'd received as Christmas presents from the orphanage. He reached into his pocket and took out the piece of paper with Sonic's number and address. For a moment, he just looked at it, but then he sniffled away his sadness and put it in a small pocket of his bag. Anyways, he was getting adopted; he should be happy!

He brought his stuff into the main office, and stopped by the desk. There was George, signing the release paperwork. Knuckles let out a long breath.

"Well, time to meet your new family," he mumbled to himself, and he bounded up to George.

"Hi George!" he said, stopping in front of the man.

"Hey kiddo! You can call me dad," he said. "You ready to go?" Knuckles nodded, then looked around.

"Where's your wife and kids?" he asked.

"She's at work... and the kids are at school. I took off so I could pick you up," George replied. He finished placing his signature on the paper, uttering a loud "there!" as he set down the pen. "All done! Let's go!" he said. Knuckles picked up his suitcase and followed George outside. He placed his suitcase in the back of his truck, and then sat down in the back.

He remained quiet the entire ride home, and George didn't bother to try and engage him in a conversation.

George's home wasn't even a home, it was an apartment building. They walked up the steps, and came into his room. Knuckles put down his bag looked around, and immediately, he noticed something wrong. The room was kind of a mess. There was trash strewn everywhere, and the dishes were piled up by the sink. The room was dimly lit, with only one light bulb still working in the light fixture on the ceiling.

"A-Are you sure this is the right room?" Knuckles asked, looking up at George. George walked past him.

"Yea it is, this is your home now! You got a problem with it kid?" he demanded, as he brushed a wrapper from the sole couch in the room, which sat in front of a television, and sat down on it.

"E-Excuse me?" Knuckles asked, taking a step back.

"You heard me!" George said, as he grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV. It came onto a football station.

"Why does your wife let you leave the house in such a pigsty?" Knuckles asked, kicking at a nearby paper plate on the floor. "Doesn't she care?"

"She doesn't have control over me! Jeanette left over five years ago; took the kids with her!" George said angrily. Knuckles' heart leapt in his chest, and he couldn't help but let out a gasp.

"You said you had a wife and kids!" he exclaimed.

"And I DID! I wasn't lying!" George replied. "Now get me a beer from the fridge!"

"You lied to me!" Knuckles said, hurt and anger coming to his voice. "Why should I get you a beer?" George glared at him, then stood up and walked up to Knuckles. Knuckles looked up and cowered under him. Suddenly, before he could react, George slapped Knuckles across the face. It didn't really hurt that bad, but it startled him enough that he cried out and cringed. George bent down by him, smiling at his dominance.

"You do not yell at me!" George said, spitting in his face while he did so. Knuckles let one single whimper escape his lips, and he shrunk under George, as he spoke, his words etching a hole into Knuckles' heart.

"I own you now, you unforgiving miscreant! Now get me a beer, bitch!"


	3. Chapter 3

Knuckles moaned in his sleep, as George called his "name" from the kitchen. He rolled around under the very itchy covers on the pullout couch, and covered his head with his pillow, attempting to go back to sleep. But suddenly, he was rudely awakened by the shrill sound of a blow horn. Knuckles screamed and jumped, startled by the sound, and fell off the other end of the couch.

"Wake up kid! It's time for my breakfast!" George shouted to Knuckles, who moaned and groaned on the floor. George shook the blow horn bottle, and then walked out. Knuckles stood up after George left, and growled in his throat.

Knuckles, now 13 years, walked over to his suitcase and grabbed out a shirt and pants. George wasn't even nice enough to surrender a room or closet for him; he slept on the pullout couch and his closet was his old suitcase from the orphanage. He took off his white undershirt and put on a green t-shirt, and put his black sweat shorts on over his boxers, mumbling angrily to himself the whole while.

For three years so far, he'd put up with George being a jerk. George's treatment of him hadn't improved in any way, shape, or form; in fact, he seemed to have become more brutal over the years. Knuckles had basically become George's man servant and play thing for when he's drunk... which happens a lot these days.

When he wasn't doing the normal chores like dishes or laundry, he was doing every little thing George was too lazy to do, which was a lot of stuff. Turns out, he lied to him about many things. George did live there by himself, but he also wasn't a dentist, like he'd said. He works a low-paying job at a fast food restaurant, and in order to keep up with the rent, Knuckles had to get a job as well. Every day after school, he went to the nearby hospital and helped play with the young kids and read to the elderly in recovery. But honestly, he loved his job; the nurses and doctors all knew him, and loved to see him. So did the patients. And it was an excuse from going home to George. He'd come home around 7:30, make dinner, then try and do his homework while George kept barking orders and playing his football games really loud. That was basically his life. Then, there were the nights when George would come home drunk. Then, he'd hide and hope he wouldn't find him, because to his dismay, George was an angry drunk. He'd be lucky if he only came out of one of the fights with only a light scolding. Several times, he'd come to work with a black eye or bruises on his wrist where George would grab him and fling him. He'd have to lie to his coworkers, teachers, and classmates, saying he fell, or he got himself in the eye, or some other excuse. This was because many-a-times, George would threaten to murder him if he ever told anyone. At first, he didn't believe him, until one night when George grabbed a knife from the kitchen and sliced a long cut down his wrist. It had taken a lot of convincing to tell the nurses at the hospital that he'd accidentally slipped while cutting vegetables and sliced his arm, but they -probably- didn't suspect a thing.

Knuckles walked home from the hospital. A younger nurse, a rabbit named Lucy, had offered to drive him home, but he said no. He didn't want her to see George if he was in one of his moods again; he'd been extremely bad over the last few weeks. He'd been going out later and getting drunk more often recently, to Knuckles' dismay.

Knuckles dropped his backpack at the door and shouted. "George, I'm home!" His voice echoed through the empty apartment. He felt a thumping from the floor, which was his crabby neighbor downstairs.

"Hey, keep it down up there!" she shouted, pounding something -probably a broomstick or rolling pin- on her ceiling, his floor. Knuckles just stamped his foot to annoy her, then walked into the kitchen. George wasn't there, which obviously meant he was out at a bar again. Knuckles sighed, know just what to make him then, since he was probably going to stumble home drunk.

"Great!" he mumbled. "Maybe if I'm lucky, he'll get pulled over by the cops for drunk driving!" He went into the fridge, to see what he had to eat, and moaned when he saw a nearly empty fridge.

"Shoot, I forgot to get groceries... that's another thing George can yell at me about later!" he mumbled.

Knuckles brewed a pot of coffee for George when he got home, since that always used to sober him up a bit, and made himself a sandwich for dinner. He finished his homework and went into the bathroom to take a shower. He rummaged in his bag for his nightshirt, and pulled out his stuffed bear. He smiled slightly, and gave it a squeeze, as being the only one he could really hug and love. He sighed and put it away again, then reached into the other pockets of his bag. He paused, when he felt something paper. He pulled out his hand to find a crumpled piece of paper, folded in half. He opened it; it read "Sonic," then had a phone number and address on it. Knuckles could feel the memories coming back, of him and Sonic as kids, playing with the other orphans. He'd considered many times calling Sonic at his new home... but every time, he either didn't have the courage to call, or was called down by George, and he told himself "Tomorrow I'll call," though he never did. Knuckles sighed, and stuffed the paper back in his bag, grabbed his nightshirt, and walked into the bathroom.

Knuckles hummed to himself, as he let the semi-warm water fall over his long dreadlocks. He shivered slightly, as he let the water run over his face, then lathered some soap on his fur.

"Stupid George can't afford hot water..." he mumbled bitterly, as he rinsed the soap from his hair, the water now icy cold. He got out of the shower and began to dry off, when he heard a slam. He jumped slightly, and moaned.

"Oh no, he's back," he mumbled. He dried himself off hurriedly, and put on his boxers, then his pants. He wasn't about to be hurt again for something he didn't do, so he was gonna leave for the night.

He was about to put on his shirt, when the bathroom door burst open, causing Knuckles to jump and yelp, startled. George barreled past him, knelt down by the toilet, and puked into it. Knuckles could smell the liquor on him and in his puke, and it was revolting. Knuckles just stared at him, disgusted, as George retched the liquor from his stomach.

"Ugh, lovely," he mumbled under his breath. George looked up from the toilet bowl, his eyes furious. He wiped at his mouth and spoke.

"What was that ass?" he snapped, "What'd you say? I'd love to hear it!" Knuckles just stared, fear in his eyes, not daring to answer him. George stood up and slapped Knuckles across the face. By now, after receiving so many of those, it didn't hurt anymore. Knuckles took the slap without a fight or a word. He just glared at him, jaw clenched shut and fists clenched. He turned to leave.

"Eh! Hey, I'm not done with you yet!" George shouted after him. Knuckles still didn't answer him, and started to walk away.

"This is good Knuckles, just ignore him and you won't get hurt," he told himself.

But suddenly, he felt it... that searing pain he was just waiting for. George had thrown something, which happened to be a bar of soap, at the back of his head, bouncing off to the side. Knuckles stopped and clenched his fists even tighter, still not saying a word to him.

"Speak! What's the matter? You mute boy?" George taunted. Knuckles growled in his throat.

"Shithead," he mumbled, more to himself than anything else. And suddenly, George was on top of him. The man pinned him to the ground, growling and seething with rage, breathing his rancid breath on Knuckles' face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife. Knuckles screamed in fear, and tried to push George off, but his boy strength did not match George's man strength, and George attacked. He slashed at Knuckles' chest with the blade, making deep scratches on him and tearing out pieces of fur. Knuckles' blood spattered on George's face, which was twisted into a possessed smile. Knuckles screamed and cried, as George just kept cutting. Knuckles squeezed his eyes shut, and finally, he felt the pressure leave his body, as George got off. Knuckles looked down at his chest. He had huge, bleeding gashes all along his chest, staining the white crescent on his chest a dark crimson. He whimpered slightly, as he tried to sit up, only causing his chest to sting more. He stared up at George, who panted and stared back down at him. His hair was disheveled, and his clothes had blood and liquor stains on it.

"Don't you DARE say that to me again, I own you, bitch!" he shouted at him. Knuckles couldn't take it anymore. "I own you, you're my property," that's all he ever heard from him, and he couldn't take one more second of it. Every fiber of his being shouted, "Fight back! Fight back and win!" and finally, he listened to it.

Knuckles shouted, and quickly got up, lunging at George and grabbing him in a choke hold around the neck. George gagged slightly and reached back to grab at the boy hanging by his neck, clawing at Knuckles with his fingernails. It didn't bother Knuckles, and he kept squeezing. George reached for Knuckles' tail, and successfully grabbed it, pulling him off of his neck with a sharp yank that had earned a loud yelp from Knuckles. George, in return, wrapped one hand around Knuckles' neck and squeezed. Knuckles gasped and gagged, his face turning red; but at the same time, he couldn't help but smile at his foe. George's face was finally regaining some color, after nearly choking. At least he'd nearly made it, and he probably struck a bit of fear in George's mind. He jammed his knee upwards, catching George right in the groin. George grunted and dropped Knuckles to the floor, reaching down to comfort his hurting kiwis. While he was doubled over, Knuckles considered running... but wait, he wasn't done yet. He balled his fist, and punched George in the face, hard. Knuckles almost felt like cheering; never before had he felt so alive, so dominant. But almost immediately, that happiness vanished, when he felt George's hand grip around his still closed fist, grabbing it as he pulled it backwards. George still wore a disturbing smile, and he showed his teeth as he squeezed Knuckles' hand in his grip. Knuckles gasped in pain, as it felt like he was crushing his fingers in his hand. George bent Knuckles' arm the wrong way under his grip, lowering it to the ground. Knuckles screamed, falling to his knees as he heard the crack, and his bone broke right above the elbow. Knuckles felt tears brimming in his eyes now, and he growled and spat at him. George got down close, by Knuckles' face, and spoke.

"I'm going to make your life a living hell!" he muttered, smiling wider.

"Heh, who says you don't already?" Knuckles spat back. George wiped away Knuckles' spittle from his face with his empty hand, his smile turning to a frown, then reached for his razor again. Knuckles' pupils shrunk in fear, and he tried to run, but George still had a grip of his arm. He laid Knuckles' arm on the floor, causing him a world of pain, and forcing him to fall face-first to the floor. He flipped open the blade again and began to repeatedly slice at Knuckles' broken arm, same as he did with his chest. Knuckles' scream echoed along the room, as George sliced right below his shoulder, ripping out pieces of tendons and muscle along with skin and tissue. His blood spattered onto his face and hands, and on the rug and tile in the bathroom. Knuckles screamed continuously, the pain running up and down his arm, all the way down to his numb fingers.

"Knock him out!" his conscience told him. "Knock him out and run!"

Knuckles reached outward with his good arm and grabbed for whatever was nearby. Lucky for him, his hand clamped around a hairbrush, which had been knocked from the counter. For a moment, he thought. "If I do this, where will I go? I can't go back to the orphanage, and I can't stay here!" Then he thought of Sonic.

He grimaced, as his chest burned, and brought it down on George's forehead, breaking the brush in half with a loud crack. George didn't make a sound, as he fell backwards with a thump, to the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

Knuckles looked down at his butchered arm, and nearly puked. It was destroyed; he could see bits and pieces of his bone peeking through, and chunks of his flesh on the tile below him. He grimaced, and picked up his bloodstained shirt. He wrapped his arm in the shirt, and went over to his bag. He reached inside and pulled out the sheet with his address and phone number.

"Sonic... I hope he'll have me," he murmured. He stuffed the paper in his pocket and looked at his stuff. He packed it up quickly, hoping to bring everything with him, when he heard a groan.

Knuckles looked up and gasped, when he saw George rolling over, waking up out of unconsciousness. George moaned, panting heavily in anger.

"I... am gonna... MURDER YOU!" he exclaimed, getting up, gripping at his head. Knuckles turned and bolted, hurting his arm and chest even worse. He ran out the door, forgetting his things, and could hear George shouting and cussing behind him. He ran down the hallway, and down the flight of stairs, nearly tripping on the bottom steps. George was shouting behind him, as he chased him, closing in on him. He burst through the entrance to the apartment complex and tumbled to the grass. He let out one shriek of pain, and stood back up, looking out at the door that was still open. He heard nothing; it was silent. Knuckles panted heavily, waiting in the silence. Maybe George wasn't following him?

But suddenly, George burst through the door. He was growling, his face bright red and veins pulsating on his forehead. Knuckles gasped, and he ran down the street.

"Get back here you prick!" George shouted furiously, and he ran after him. Knuckles' lungs burned with pain and a lack of oxygen, as he ran. George was gaining on him, so he cut across the street. He could hear George shouting and swearing... but then, a car horn, then an ear-splitting crash. He could hear a loud crunch and the sound of shattering glass.

Knuckles kept running, not even bothering to look back, as he heard sirens in the distance, and someone calling for help.

He ran for blocks and blocks, not stopping, nor would he even dare to stop. His chest stung and his arm was going numb, but he pressed on, until his head began to spin. The weariness and blood loss began to get to him, and he stopped. He was gasping for air, as he fell to his knees, his arm limply hanging at his side, staining the cement red. His head was spinning, and it began to grow dark. He sucked in one final gasp, before he fell to the concrete.

"H-hey... I think he's coming to!" a voice exclaimed. Knuckles groaned, and let out a small, pitiful cough. He saw a few people in white hovering over him. He looked down to his arm, and found it bandaged, a few of the men pushing on his shoulder. He could hear a loud rumble, like a car motor, and a shrill siren.

"Wh-where am I?" he asked the strange men.

"You're in an ambulance child," one of the men said. "A woman found you lying on the sidewalk with a lot of cuts and low levels of blood. Can you remember how this happened?" he asked. Knuckles just stared worriedly at them for a moment.

"I-I can't go back!" Knuckles cried weakly. "Please, don't take me back!"

"Were taking you to the hospital right now, don't worry, you'll be ok," the man assured.

"Try to tell us how this happened," another ER asked. Knuckles reached with his good arm into his pocket, a d pulled out that piece of paper. He began to feel dizzy again, and he could hear a ringing in his ears.

"I... I-I need to go... here," he spoke, weakly holding up the piece of paper. One of the ERs took the paper and unfolded it.

Knuckles blinked away tears, as darkness was yet again creeping up on him. "Don't take me back..." he mumbled, as he fell back into unconsciousness.

Sonic, age 12, was in the backyard with Tails, playing a game of leap frog with his little brother, when he heard the phone ring.

"Mom! Can you get it?" Sonic called.

"I'm cooking; please can you get it Sonic!" Lorena called back. Sonic moaned and stood up.

"Be right back!" the told Tails. He ran inside and picked up the phone.

"Hello, Prower's residence," he said into the receiver.

"Hello? Uhm... might I speak with a Mr. Sonic?" a male voice on the other line asked.

"Yeah, this is him; who wants to know?" Sonic asked.

"Oh... well, I'm Doctor Jameson at Mobius Community Hospital. We just brought in a young boy who appeared badly beaten and cut up. He handed our ERs in the ambulance a piece of paper with your address and phone number on it. We suspected you were important in some way to him," the doctor said.

"W-Wait... what's his name, what does he look like?" Sonic asked urgently.

"Who is it?" Lorena asked. Sonic sighed her to shush, and he listened.

"He hasn't come out of consciousness yet, we do not know his name," the doctor replied, "But he's a red echidna... probably no older than 13 or 14 years... uh, he has a white crescent-shaped mark on his chest..."

Sonic nearly dropped the phone. "Knuckles!" he whispered.

"What was that?" the doctor asked.

"Nothing!" Sonic said in reply. "Don't worry, we'll be right over!" he said urgently, and he hung up.

"Who was that?" Lorena asked, her full attention now on her son.

"Remember that friend of mine I introduced to you guys the day I left?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Lorena asked.

"He's in the hospital!" Sonic said, "We have to go to him, now!" Lorena nodded, and walked up to him.

"C'mon, go get your brother, I'll start the car!"


	5. Chapter 5

Knuckles coughed, and finally awoke, his eyes squinting in the bright light. He looked to one side, and felt the soft sheets draped over him, quite contrary to his normal bedding. Was he dreaming? Was he in heaven? No, he could hear a familiar bleeping… and the machine sitting next to his bed… he was in a hospital, he recognized it! Was it… it was; it was even the same hospital he worked at, Mobius County! He tried to sit up, but his whole body wouldn't move. He estimated that he was still sedated, so he just turned his head, looking from side to side. That's when he heard the door open.

Sonic, Tails, Lorena, and Ricky walked into his room, and Knuckles could see a smile grow on Sonic's face when he saw that he was awake.

Wow, Sonic, had he really grown! He was probably a few inches taller than him now! He was, what, 12 years old now? Hard to believe! Knuckles copied Sonic's smile, and suspected Sonic thought the same about him too, by how he just looked at him.

Sonic and his family walked up to his bed and knelt by him.

"Hey Knuckles, how you feeling?" Sonic asked him.

"I can't move," Knuckles replied, trying to make it sound like a joke. Sonic chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, that's the morphine," he replied. "It should wear off in a couple hours. Wow, I can't believe how big you've gotten in three years!" Knuckles smiled, showing his teeth, and let out a small laugh.

"I was just thinking the same here! Has it really been three years?" he replied.

Tails leaned over by Lorena and whispered in her ear. "Do you think he's noticed yet?" he whispered, a bit louder than he should have.

"Noticed what?" Knuckles asked, looking over at Tails and Lorena. Suddenly, the happiness in all of their eyes vanished, sending a shiver down Knuckles' spine. "What's wrong?" he asked.

This time, Ricky took a breath and spoke. "Son, when the doctors found you, your arm was more than half-way torn off, and broken in two spots. All of the tendons, nerves, muscle, everything, was destroyed… they couldn't find any way to fix it… I'm so sorry," Ricky said quietly.

"Wh- I don't understand, I- what happened?" Knuckles stammered. He tried to move his arm, to pull off his covers, but of course, he couldn't move. After many failed attempts to move, Knuckles stopped trying and looked up at Sonic, who had tears in his emerald eyes.

"They amputated your arm, Knuckles," Sonic solemnly said, a tear rolling down his cheek. Knuckles was silent for a few moments, contemplating what he'd just heard. He wasn't even sure if this was real! What would he do with only one arm; how would he live? He was on the brink of crying, and he felt a tear forming in his amethyst eyes. Finally, he took in a shaky breath, speaking as calmly as possible.

"May I see it… my arm?" he asked. Sonic stepped forward, and slowly pulled down Knuckles' covers so he could see. First off, he saw that his chest was all bandaged up, and then he saw his shoulder. Not even an inch past his shoulder, was a big, white bandage, wrapped all along his arm where it ended. The ends of the bandages were beginning to appear stained red with his blood.

His voice quavered, but he spoke with confidence. "I'm not scared… just disappointed. And I can make it through this, with some help. If you're willing to help me," he said.

Knuckles had no ability to wipe away the tears, so he allowed them to fall… just this once. They didn't come out in streams and rivers like some kind of baby, no; they proudly rolled, slowly down his cheeks.

"Of course we'll help you Knuckles," Sonic replied. "Don't worry, soon, you're gonna be just like every other kid!" Sonic's family embraced him lightly, as to not hurt him. Knuckles couldn't hug them back, but he smiled; he smiled, to show them he was happy, and he appreciated their kindness… he finally felt like he was loved.

"Alright, now we want answers!" Sonic said to Knuckles, "Who did this to you, how, and why; he should be put behind bars!" Knuckles was walking back from the hospital's kitchen with Sonic, who was holding both his and Knuckles' plates of food to be nice. Knuckles let out a long sigh, waving his one arm in the air dramatically.

"Honestly, I don't really remember, and don't want to," he said, trying to make it sound humorous.

"Oh come on Knuckles, it's been four days, you've gotta remember something!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Hey Knuckles, how you feeling?" one of the other teen patients asked; a young ferret boy who was on his way out from his room. Knuckles waved back.

"Doing good, thanks!" he called as they walked by.

"Dude, how does everyone know you here?" Sonic asked Knuckles. Knuckles shrugged.

"I'm a fun guy! Who says people don't respect me?" he said jokingly and he laughed. Sonic didn't laugh. "I work here normally," Knuckles replied. "George couldn't keep up with the payments, so I devoted my time after school to helping the patients here," Knuckles said. "I actually want to try and go to college for a doctrine. I'm gonna be a doctor, working right beside only the best," he said proudly.

"That's great; now out with these answers…" Sonic pried.

"I told you, I don't remember much. What I do remember is that George had something to do with it… he was a _terrible_ father!" Knuckles finally replied, taking a sip of his soda he'd gotten. They made it back to Knuckles' hospital room, and Knuckles sat down on his bed.

"You know, I warned you about that guy, didn't I?" Sonic pointed out, purposely to rub it in Knuckles' face. Knuckles reached out for his plate, but Sonic pulled it away. "I warned you that guy was going to be trouble, didn't I?" he repeated. "Now you mind telling us why he was a terrible father, cuz I'm curious?" Sonic asked. Knuckles put on a devious face and spoke.

"Well first, I'm gonna tell you why _you're_ a terrible _friend_; I'm starving, gimme my food!" Knuckles joked, and he took his plate from Sonic, who laughed in reply.

"Ok, now spill," Sonic said, resting his chin upon his palms. Knuckles ran his arm though his hair and let out a moan of thought.

"Let's see… where to begin?" he mumbled. "Well, first off, talk about first impressions; the man slapped me and said 'get me a beer bitch!' the first day I got there," he said. "He was lazy; made me do everything in the house. I was like his housemaid, or man servant," Knuckles said. "You'd never hear a good compliment or kind thing from him… especially to me. He'd always be at me about how much I was a looser and had no friends, and how I'm never going to have a real future. He drank at least two times a week, and he's a really angry drunk… I mean, a _really _angry drunk," Knuckles said. He took a sip of his soda, then continued. "…And somehow, every time he stumbled back home, he found a way to take his drunken anger out on me. I'd usually come out of one of those fights with black eyes or bruises. Until recent times, when he started resorting to a pocket knife," Knuckles replied, his voice becoming more quiet and serious as he spoke. When he mentioned the pocket knife, Sonic's eyes widened in horror and a hand went to his mouth.

"I-I think that's how it happened…" Knuckles continued, looking down to his arm, which was now wrapped in a more permanent casting. "I believe I remember now… He came home drunk that night, and I somehow got him mad… and he began to c-cut at my chest…" Knuckles spoke quieter. He looked down and pulled away his shirt, to look at the bandages on his chest. "B-but then, I fought back for the first time in my life… I punched him, and he grabbed my fist and started squeezing it… breaking my hand and then my arm." As Knuckles narrated his perspective of the story, Sonic remained silent, taking in all that his friend had to go through, and it brought tears to his eyes. "He threatened me… and I retaliated. That's when he brought out the pocket knife again…" Knuckles said. He swallowed, though his throat was dry, and continued. "H-he sliced at my hand, like I was some sort of butcher's meat… and then I knocked him out. He threatened me… he said 'I'll murder you!' I ran out the door, but he chased me; cussing at me, gaining on me… I ran and I ran, until I heard a crash, and a horn honking… but I kept running. He wasn't chasing me anymore…" Knuckles said. He swallowed again, as a lump rose in his throat, and he sighed. "That's all I remember," he said, finishing the story. He looked at Sonic, to find him near to tears, his lip quivering.

"Oh man, I never… I-I can't believe that you…" Sonic started. He just didn't know what to say, and he came up and hugged Knuckles tight. "I'm so sorry," Sonic whispered in Knuckles' ear.

"It's ok… I never looked behind me to see… but I'm guessing that… George is dead," Knuckles said quietly. "My mind keeps replaying that sound… the brakes squealing and the crushing of bones and glass… it makes me sick thinking about it," he murmured. Sonic broke away, trying to put on a convincing smile.

"Don't worry, that's all in the past. Anyways, he deserved it!" Sonic comforted.

"Don't say that," Knuckles said, "Nobody deserves death."

"Well then, he was asking for it more than you were," Sonic said, earning a slight chuckle from Knuckles.

"I just… I don't know where to go now…" Knuckles replied, standing up to pace around his bed. "I can't go back to the orphanage… nobody would adopt a rejected teenager… I don't know what to do," Knuckles replied. Sonic looked down at his hands, which he had curled on his lap, and sighed. He waited in silence for a few moments, allowing Knuckles to release his anxiety. Sonic just watched him as he paced back and forth, looking out the window every once and awhile. He looked as if he were watching, just waiting for George's car to pull up in the parking lot down below, and his pocket knife in hand and ready.

"We'll adopt you," Sonic finally replied, confidently. Knuckles whirled around to face his friend, shock in his eyes.

"You'll… what?" he stammered.

"You heard me; we'll adopt you, and we're gonna promise to raise you with love," Sonic said, standing up to comfort his best friend.

"We're going to be brothers?" Knuckles asked, astonishment and disbelief in his voice. Sonic simply nodded in reply, and before he could speak, Knuckles was hugging him, so tight that he could barely breathe, but he didn't care. He was mending a soul… breathing wasn't the first priority.

"We're going to be brothers…" Knuckles said, quieter, his face buried in Sonic's shoulder and his tears wetting down his blue fur.


	6. Chapter 6

"No!" Ricky said sternly. Sonic stared up at his dad with big puppy eyes, but his ears fell when he gave his answer.

"Aw c'mon dad, please? He has nowhere to go!" Sonic pleaded.

"Sonic, I said no. Do you think we have the time and money to adopt another kid?" Ricky replied, his tails swishing angrily.

"But… where will he go? If you send him back to the orphanage, then he'll never get adopted," Sonic said sadly.

"Sonic, I think that's an over exag-,"

"NO! It's not an over exaggeration!" Sonic cried, tears in his eyes. "It's just like at the pet shop; everyone goes for the cute, young ones, and never goes for the older ones!" Sonic replied. He stared up at his dad angrily, with tears in his eyes. "He gets out of the hospital in two days. He loves us, and he needs a family; you have no idea what he's gone through!" Sonic began to cry, and he ran out of the room, leaving Ricky half shocked, and regretting his decision. Overwhelmed, he put a hand to his head, let out a big sigh, and sat on the bed in the hospital room. Lorena walked into the room, and sat down next to her husband.

"What's wrong with Sonic?" she asked.

"Oh, Sonic wants us to adopt Knuckles. He even told him we would already," Ricky replied.

Knuckles was heading to his room, when he heard Mr. and Mrs. Prower talking from inside his room.

"Well… why not?" Lorena asked. Ricky removed the hand from his face.

"Honey, we're in a bit of a crunch here; we don't have the money to adopt again right now," he said. Knuckles sighed. _"I knew it was too good to be true," _he thought.

"…Then Sonic went on about how if we send him back to the orphanage, he'll never be adopted," he continued. "He said I had no idea what Knuckles had gone through…" Lorena reached out and took his hand.

"Obviously, those two love each other," Lorena replied. "Honey, you can't possibly separate those two again… remember the day we adopted them, how we couldn't pry them apart?" Ricky nodded.

"How are we ever going to make it work?" he asked his wife. "I just got laid off… we're having trouble even affording the basics like food."

Knuckles pitied them, and then he remembered something. He turned and ran in the opposite direction, towards the staff room.

"…I mean it's not like I don't like the boy; I love him just as much as Sonic and Tails do," Ricky continued.

"Same here," Lorena said. "And don't forget… we don't have to adopt him you know," she said.

"What're you getting at?" Ricky asked.

Lorena shrugged. "We could always just invite him over to our house for a few weeks… like a really long sleepover?" she suggested. Ricky just looked at her for a moment. "…But first, I think you're going to need to tell Sonic you're sorry," Lorena added. Ricky nodded in agreement, and then kissed her.

"You're so smart," he said, smiling.

Knuckles opened the door to the staff room and was immediately bombarded by the other nurses and doctors on break.

"Hey Knuckles, how's your arm?" the doctor who actually performed his operation asked him.

"It's good," Knuckles replied. All the questions were basically about how he was feeling, and if he was excited to leave in a few days. However, Knuckles was preoccupied. He went over to the closet, where he normally would grab his uniform shirt he was required to wear, and took the shirt off the hanger. He dug in its front pocket, and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper.

"What you got there?" one of the doctors asked him, looming over his shoulder.

"My last check from a few weeks ago… I kept forgetting to bring it home… now I think somebody else needs it," Knuckles said, looking at the check, with 100 dollars on it.

Mr. and Mrs. Prower were still in Knuckles' room when he got back, but they had also gotten Sonic and Tails in the room too, and they were talking to them. This time, he didn't want to spy, but before he walked in, he heard the word "stay."

"Mr. and Mrs. Prower?" Knuckles asked, as he walked in the room. He looked up from his check, to find them all looking at him. He came up to Ricky and handed him the check.

"What's this?" Ricky asked him, as he took it and unfolded it.

"I-I used to work here… it's my last paycheck. You can have it, i-if you'll take it," Knuckles said nervously, pulling his arms behind his back.

Before Knuckles could find out what their response was, Sonic nearly tackled him with a huge hug.

"Mom and dad are gonna adopt you Knuckles!" Sonic exclaimed happily.

"Uh, no, honey… it's more like a long visit," Lorena pointed out.

"Lorena, look at this," Ricky whispered, showing her the check, for how much it was worth.

Sonic still hugged onto Knuckles, and then Tails joined in. Now, with two people bombarding him, Knuckles struggled to keep his balance and the three fell to the floor. The two parents broke away from their conversation and looked down at them.

" Boys, you ok?" Lorena asked. Truthfully, the end of Knuckles' arm did sting now, but he was too happy to notice the pain, and they all kept smiling and laughing. Through a giggle, Tails replied.

"We're ok!"

Knuckles didn't have anything to bring this time, so he just crawled into the back seat of the Prower's car. Sonic nearly pounced on the seat in the middle, and strapped in as well. Tails sat on the other end, having to push his twin tails out of the way before he sat down. Knuckles tried to buckle up by himself, but he'd lost the hand he normally used, and he couldn't quite get the feel of using his left hand for everything. Sonic tapped his shoulder, and took the seat belt from him, strapping him in for him.

"Thanks Sonic," Knuckles replied, though he was kind of embarrassed, and his cheeks showed it. Then they were off.

For awhile, it was silent, but then Ricky spoke.

"Knuckles, I'm curious… where did you say you got that money again?" he asked.

"My job," Knuckles replied. "I worked at the hospital, taking care of and playing with the healing patients. The doctors and nurses liked it, because it helped the patients as they healed," Knuckles replied.

"You have a job already?" Lorena asked, "You're only 13!"

"Yeah, I kind of had to," Knuckles replied. "My… father," Knuckles nearly choked on the word father, "didn't make good money, so I had to get a job too, to help pay the bills and such.

"And you get $100 each paycheck?" Ricky asked. Knuckles nodded.

"Yup, 100 every two weeks. Hospital workers get good money," he said, earning a chuckle from the parents. Lorena leaned over and whispered to Ricky, who was driving.

"Dear, he makes his own money. Maybe we could adopt him after all," she whispered.

"Not now," Ricky whispered back, looking in the inside mirror, back at the kids.

The family made it to their home, and Knuckles looked out the window with a big smile on his face. They had the classic family home. It was a one story, white and blue ranch house, with a walkway up to the front door and a garage for the car. Lining the walkway were tons of colorful plants and flowers, and some lawn statues. Knuckles uttered a small "wow" as they backed into the garage.

"Your home is so beautiful!" Knuckles said.

"Thank you," Lorena replied.

They walked inside, and Knuckles immediately felt at home. It wasn't messy, it wasn't cluttered, it had room to move around in the hallways, and it was brightly lit. Knuckles just looked around, not caring if Sonic and the others may have been looking at him weird.

"It's so pretty!" Knuckles mused.

"Again, thank you," Lorena said, "I do most of the decorating."

Sonic grabbed Knuckles' hand, and tugged him off. Knuckles let out a small "whoa" as Sonic pulled him away.

"Ah, don't rip my second arm off!" Knuckles exclaimed jokingly.

"C'mon c'mon, I want you to see my room!" Sonic cried. Tails followed behind, walking instead of running.

The two boys burst into Sonic's room. He loved everything sports, so coincidentally, his room theme was sports. He had a few basketballs and footballs lying in a pile by the corner. His bedspread was checkered with the multi-colored football helmets of different teams. He had a baseball bat hanging on his closet door, and a shelf with all the trophies he'd won in school sports.

"Wow Sonic… you're crazy about sports!" Knuckles finally said. Sonic nodded and smiled proudly.

"You can sleep with me if you want!" Sonic immediately asked. He pulled a second pillow from his closet and scooted his over, then plopped the pillow onto his bed.

"See? Room for two!" Sonic said excitedly. Knuckles smiled, and hugged Sonic tight.

"Thank you," he whispered. "If it weren't for you, I would probably be sitting in the hospital with nobody, and be sent to the orphanage," he said. Sonic rubbed his back and spoke.

"That's in the past… don't worry, I'll get my parents to actually adopt you… somehow," Sonic assured. "For now, you're safe here."


	7. Chapter 7

Sonic was eating breakfast before school, when Knuckles came down in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Morning Knuckles!" Sonic said, before shoveling another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Where you going?" Knuckles asked him groggily.

"I'm going to school. I had to skip almost all of last week, and I can't keep skipping," Sonic replied.

"Oh…" Knuckles replied quietly. Tails came down with his backpack on. "You too?" Knuckles asked Tails.

"Sorry Knuckles," Tails murmured, and he walked past him.

"What am I going to do all day?" Knuckles asked.

"You're going to Sonic's school," Lorena said, as she came up to them and ruffled Knuckles' fur.

"But I thought I wasn't staying in your family," Knuckles replied.

"Yes… but you can't just sit home and not go to school," Lorena replied.

"Uhm, ok…" Knuckles replied.

"Now go get dressed! You're going to be late!" Lorena said, rushing Knuckles on his way. Lorena smiled, and watched as Knuckles ran into Sonic's room. "And don't forget, you start work again tomorrow after school!" she called.

Knuckles ran downstairs in a black Nike T-shirt from Sonic and pair of blue jeans. His sleeve was hanging loose where his lost arm was, but he'd gotten used to how odd it looked by now. When he came back into the kitchen, Sonic and Tails were ready to leave, and Mr. and Mrs. Prower were waiting by the door. Lorena held something behind their back.

"You're going to need some school supplies," Ricky said, and Lorena produced a full green and black backpack, stuffed with books, notebooks, pencils, and binders. Knuckles smiled, and came up to them, taking the backpack.

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Prower," he said, putting on the backpack.

Knuckles and Sonic walked in the door to their school, and looked around at the large school building.

"What's it like at your school?" Knuckles asked.

"Well… it's kind of big," Sonic replied as they entered. Knuckles huffed, and looked around at the large, spacious entrance.

"Kind of?" he replied, as huge swarms of people began walking from class to class, creating a noisy atmosphere.

"Well… it is a middle _and_ high school," Sonic replied. Knuckles gave Sonic a look.

"You didn't mention that!" he said.

Already, Knuckles experienced the tough nature of a big middle/high school. As the huge pile of kids began to file in, several kids began to run into him, and slammed into his side and shoulders and knocking him to the floor.

"Hey, watch it!" Sonic exclaimed to the group, and he helped Knuckles up. "Sorry Knuckles, it gets kind of crowded in here; I should'a warned you about standing in the hallways," Sonic apologized. "You ok?" Knuckles nodded and brushed himself off.

The two of them went to their 1st hour class, Science, and sat down in two of the empty chairs near the front, waiting for the day to start. Almost immediately, when he walked into the classroom, several other children looked up and stared. Knuckles knew that they were staring at his arm, and it made him feel awkward.

"Class, we have a new student," the teacher announced, and came up to Knuckles. "This is Knuckles the echidna. You're Sonic's brother I presume?" she asked. Knuckles nodded. "I am your Science teacher, Mrs. Kline. Now I want all of you to treat our new student with respect, as we would any other student!" she called loudly to the rest of the class.

"What happened to his arm?" one boy blurted. Everyone else began to murmur signs of agreement. Knuckles sunk lower in his seat and his face flushed.

"Class, you're being very rude!" Mrs. Kline exclaimed, and she turned to the one boy who asked. "Jace, you shouldn't ask unless he's ok with talking about it!" Mrs. Kline scolded.

"I-It's ok…" Knuckles murmured, and the teacher looked at him. "I'm ok with it." Knuckles looked at Sonic, who gestured him to go ahead, and he looked to the rest of the staring class. "I had to have it amputated a few weeks ago," he replied shyly. "I don't wish to tell why, but it had to do with my old adoptive father," he added. He could hear a collective group of gasps, probably from girls, and his cheeks flushed even more. The teacher appeared speechless, but she snapped out of it right away.

"O-Ok class… please turn in your textbooks to page 15," she said.

Sonic and Knuckles hopped off the bus and walked to their home. As they walked, Tails hopped off his bus and caught up to them.

"Hi Knuckles!" Tails exclaimed. "How was your first day of school?" Knuckles shrugged.

"It was ok, I guess," he replied.

"Ok! All the girls were hanging all over you!" Sonic exclaimed. "It'd think that was a little better than ok!" Knuckles' cheeks flushed, and he reached out to open the door to their house.

"Yeah… but I don't think the other guys liked it very much," he replied, and he opened the door.

"Aw, don't worry about them! They'll have to go through me first!" Sonic said proudly, patting his chest, as the three of them walked into the house. Sonic dropped his backpack by the door, as did Tails, and called, "Mom, dad, we're home!" as loud as he possibly can. Knuckles stayed by the door and took off his backpack. He looked at Sonic's and Tails' backpacks, abandoned on the floor, and he bent down and picked them up. He struggled to keep them all in his one hand, but he still made it to the closet where the backpacks were supposed to go, and he shoved them on the shelf, one-by-one. Then he walked back over to the door and called.

"I have to go to work now," he said, not quite as loud as Sonic, though Mr. and Mrs. Prower heard him.

"Ok hon, be safe!" Lorena called. Knuckles smiled when she called him hon; he'd never been called anything like that before. Knuckles smiled and left.

After a long day of work, Knuckles was on his way home, when he heard a car horn honk. He looked around, and saw Mr. Prower's car stroll up behind him. Ricky un-rolled his window and spoke.

"How come you're walking home so late?" Ricky asked.

"I had to stay afterwards to clean up; one of the younger patients had a birthday party in the recovery room," Knuckles replied.

"Well I went to the hospital to come and pick you up, but you weren't there. One of the nice nurses told me that you've already begun walking home. Hop in!" Ricky said. Knuckles smiled and came up to the car.

"Thank you Mr. Prower," Knuckles said kindly, before he opened the door and stepped inside.

The two made it home just in time for dinner. Mrs. Prower practically herded the two over to the dining room table for food, saying she spent all afternoon on it that day. Knuckles was surprised by the surplus of food she'd made, and it all looked so fancy. He could cook the basics, but this food made his cooking feel minuscule compared to hers.

"Wow! It looks great dear," Ricky said, planting a kiss on Lorena's cheek, before he sat down at his spot. Sonic and Tails ran downstairs and into the dining room.

"We smell food, that's our cue!" Sonic exclaimed. Knuckles smiled slightly, and looked around as Sonic and Tails also found their spots. There was one more spot left open at the end, next to Tails. Sonic looked up at Knuckles.

"You can sit there; we've got a spot all laid out for you!" Sonic said, pointing to the open chair. Knuckles went and sat down in his own spot and looked at his place. Like everyone else's, he had a plate, a fork and a spoon, a cup, and a napkin. _"They've made a spot for me… I think I've made a spot for them too,"_ he thought, smiling. Sonic, Tails, Ricky, and Lorena joined hands, and Knuckles watched curiously.

"Here, take my hand and dad's hand," Tails whispered, "We're going to say grace." Knuckles took Tails' and Ricky's hands, and mimicked what they did. Everyone closed their eyes, and after a few seconds of silence, Ricky said the blessings. They finished, and now it was time to eat.

While Sonic, Tails, and the parents helped themselves and began eating, Knuckles just watched curiously. After a few moments, Sonic looked back and saw that Knuckles had nothing on his plate.

"You can help yourself you know," Sonic said, his mouth full.

"Normally I'd have to wait until George was done eating first. I got whatever was left," Knuckles spoke quietly. While Mr. and Mrs. Prower wore appalled faces, Sonic actually looked annoyed at him.

"Will you stop mentioning that guy's name! He's in the past, gone! He's not bothering you anymore," Sonic said. "Now go ahead and get some food, we allow you." Silently, Knuckles nodded and got himself a bit of food to eat. He remained silent for the rest of the meal.

Knuckles was in Sonic's bed that night, since it was his night on the bed, while a thunderstorm began to brew outside. He began to toss and turn in his sleep.

_George's possessed smile flashed in front of him along with a flash of lightning. Knuckles gasped, and turned to run. Another lightning bolt struck, and for a split second, he could see the outline of a man standing in front of him, carrying a razorblade. Knuckles screamed and ran in the opposite direction. But then, he was tripped and fell onto his stomach, knocking the breath out of him. He saw another lightning flash, illuminating a shadow that loomed over him. He looked up and saw the silhouette, and knew who it was. "George!" Knuckles gasped, staring up with wide eyes. George's razorblade was now a pickax, and he smiled that disturbed smile, as he raised it above his head. Knuckles tried to move, but he wouldn't budge for some reason. George laughed viciously, and he spoke._

"_I'm going to murder you!" he shouted, and the pickax came down on his head._

Knuckles awoke with a scream and sat up. Now the storm was blowing, full force, and thunder clapped, blotting out his slight scream as he awoke. He looked to the window immediately. Lightning flashed and he could've sworn he saw George's face glaring at him through the window for a split second, before the lightning vanished. This time, there was no thunder to cover up his terrified scream, and he backed up and off the bed, falling to the floor on his back. Sonic, who was sleeping on a floor mattress, was startled by Knuckles' scream, and looked up to the bed above him. However, Knuckles wasn't there.

"Knuckles?" Sonic called worriedly over a rumble of thunder. He stood up and looked around the room. Finally, he saw him, huddled in a fetal position against the wall, hiding his head in his knees. Sonic came up to him and stroked his head gently.

"It's ok Knuckles, it's just a thunderstorm," Sonic said calmly.

"H-He was there! I saw him!" Knuckles cried with a shaky voice, pulling his face from his knees to show that he was crying.

Tails and Mr. and Mrs. Prower rushed in to see what was wrong, and flipped on the light.

"What was that scream?" Lorena exclaimed.

"I think Knuckles had a bad dream," Sonic said, "He looks pretty shaken up."

"I-I saw him, in the window. He smiled at me, and vanished…" Knuckles spoke quietly, looking straight at the window, his whole body shaking. Ricky came up to Knuckles and, grunting from his weight, picked him up and laid him in bed and pulled the covers up.

"It's ok, it was just a dream," Ricky assured. Lorena came up to him as well and sat on the foot of his bed.

"George isn't going to hurt you anymore, I promise," she said. Thunder rumbled again, and Knuckles curled up tighter under his covers, still sniffling. "It's ok, the thunderstorm won't hurt you either," Lorena calmed, stroking Knuckles' back from under the covers. "The heavens are just playing a game of bowling in the clouds." Sonic rolled his eyes at his mother; that story worked on Tails, when he was 5! But he remained quiet. Knuckles had stopped crying, but tears still remained in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Knuckles apologized.

"You don't have to apologize, it wasn't your fault," Lorena comforted. She stood up and crouched down by Knuckles' head. "It's ok, you're safe here," she reassured, and she kissed his forehead. Knuckles smiled slightly and nuzzled into his pillow. Unsure of what else needed to be said, Tails and Ricky left. Sonic walked back over to his mattress. Lorena gave Knuckles one last stroke to the head and then turned and left as well, turning off the light as she left.

Now plunged into darkness once again, Knuckles turned in his covers, wiped his eyes, and looked at Sonic. He was already in bed, and he didn't want to ask, but he was still scared.

"Sonic? Are you awake?" Knuckles asked. Sonic moved under his covers, then turned to face him.

"Yeah," he whispered back. Another roll of thunder interrupted them.

"C-Can you sleep up here… with me?" Knuckles asked tentatively.

"Well… sure, ok," Sonic replied, and he got out of bed, taking his pillow with him.

Now, with Sonic tucked in next to him, Knuckles felt safe, and he fell asleep within minutes. But after awhile, his mind went back to that nightmare he'd had… the first of many he'd have in the weeks to come.


	8. Chapter 8

Two weeks later:

Knuckles was headed home from work with another paycheck to give to his guardians. As he walked home, he suddenly felt like he was being followed. He stopped and looked around cautiously, but saw nothing except a car driving down the road. The car whipped past him and kept moving forward, so Knuckles tried to relax and keep walking. But then, he saw something that made him freeze. He saw a man walk across the street, and the car that'd just passed him barreled straight through him, and did not stop as the person flew to the side of the road and hit the pavement. A familiar crash and cracking of bones was heard.

"Oh my god!" Knuckles exclaimed, and he ran over to the injured man. He stopped in front of the bloody man, and realized he looked familiar. Suddenly, his stomach twisted into knots and he felt like he was going to puke; this man was George! He was there, in front of him, and he'd just been hit by a car! George convulsed and groaned on the floor, blood gurgling at his throat. He was dying, but he was still able to croak out one last sentence.

"I'm… going to murder you…"

Knuckles blinked, and he awoke from his daydream in a startled wreck. He was staring at the car as it drove into the distance and disappeared, not hitting anything at all. It'd all been in his head, and these daydreams and nightmares have grown exponentially worse. He wanted to Mr. and Mrs. Prower, but he didn't want them to worry, so for now, only Sonic knew. Finally, he stuck his hand in his pocket, fingered with his check, looked cautiously around in all directions, then headed home quickly.

Knuckles quickly ran inside and slammed the door behind him, leaning up against the door and a hand on his chest, panting. Sonic peeked around the corner at what the commotion was, and saw Knuckles. He'd noticed a change in Knuckles lately; he was a lot more cautious and fearful, and he definitely didn't look very happy. Sonic walked around the bend and came up to Knuckles.

"What's wrong? Please, tell me," Sonic begged, leaning against the door like Knuckles. The troubled echidna rested his face in the palm of his hand and sighed a long sigh.

"I don't know," he replied. "I keep seeing him in my head. Today, I saw a car run him over, when it didn't really happen… and he said it again… 'I'm going to murder you.' He really is murdering me, on the inside," Knuckles admitted. Sonic wrapped an arm around Knuckles' tense shoulders and pulled him close.

"It's ok… I can't imagine what kind of trauma you must be facing," Sonic said. "Maybe you should tell my parents. They could have you taken to a therapist?"

"Now you're treating me like I'm some kind of unstable mental!" Knuckles said, trying to turn it into a joke, though his voice didn't sound comedic enough.

"No, I seriously think you've got some bad trauma, and its messing with your head," Sonic replied more seriously. "You're never going to get better if you don't get help." Knuckles thought it over, and finally nodded.

"I guess you're right," he replied. Sonic leaned over and kissed Knuckles' forehead. He rarely did this, except to comfort his brother if he were scared or hurt, considering how awkward he found kissing another guy. However, he felt this was one of those instances where a brother needed comfort.

"I love you brother," Sonic said quietly. Knuckles smiled for real, for the first time in a long time, and hugged Sonic tightly.

"I love you too," Knuckles meekly replied, his face still in Sonic's shoulder. The two of them stood like that for several moments, before Sonic's stomach growled, breaking the silence.

"Now that that's over, let's go get a snack; I'm starving!" Sonic said, taking Knuckles along with him.

Ricky sat back in his chair, after seeing this whole spectacle from his office; he guessed the boys didn't know he was there, working on his resumes on the computer.

"Oh that poor kid," he murmured, and he turned back to his computer, to check his e-mails. _"He'd never really told us how terrible his father had treated him,"_ he thought. _"What was that guy's name; George? Yeah… I can't believe he'd really treated this boy so terrible! He didn't deserve it at all!"_ Ricky thought back to all the things Knuckles had said. "_He only got the table scraps for his meals… he had to work a real job at 13, just because he couldn't pay the bills… obviously, George must've been the one who attacked Knuckles. He cost him his arm… and his innocence. Boys at this age are supposed to be thinking about sports and girls… not a psycho man haunting his mind." _Ricky's mind was distracted by Knuckles, as he went onto his computer, until he saw the e-mail he'd been looking for for weeks. A smile crept to his face, as he opened it and read what it said.

Earlier than usual that night, Lorena had fixed something special for dinner. She'd made steak and mashed potatoes, the family favorite. Sonic sat down at the table and immediately commented.

"Mom, you haven't made steak in forever! What's going on?" he asked.

"Yeah, what's up?" Tails added.

"Well, your father has some good news," Lorena replied while setting a plate down at each spot. Ricky had just come into the room as she said this, and he sat down. Everyone waited eagerly to hear the news. Ricky took a deep breath

"I had just been accepted a job offer that paid double my last job," he announced. "We can finally afford to do things again!" A bit confused, Tails just cheered and smiled, while Sonic and Knuckles congratulated him.

"Where are you working?" Knuckles asked.

"Well, now here's the cool part; I'm going to be a news anchor for Fox Brothers News!" Ricky said. **(Fox brothers… get it? He's a fox?)**

"Wow! That's so cool; our dad's going to be on TV!" Tails exclaimed. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles left their seats and hugged Ricky, congratulating him and laughing. Lorena stood over him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his forehead.

"He's starting on Monday," she said to the kids. Everyone began speaking again, and almost everything was inaudible. But then, among the chaos, someone's sentence stood out and caused the room to go silent.

"Ha ha, that's great dad!" Knuckles exclaimed. When the room went silent, his cheeks flushed. "I-I mean… Mr. Prower," Knuckles immediately corrected, and he looked down nervously at his hands. But suddenly, he felt Ricky wrap an arm around him and pull him onto his lap.

"It's ok… you can call me dad," he said kindly, "You've grown on us."

"And you may call me mom," Lorena added, and she kissed Knuckles' cheek. "You're one of us now." Knuckles was speechless for a second, and he just sat, staring at them, on Ricky's lap.

"Does this mean..?"

"Yeah, it does," Lorena replied. Sonic totally knew what was coming next, and he just had to blurt it out.

"You're going to be my brother!" he cried excitedly. Stunned, Knuckles remained speechless, his mouth gaping slightly.

"I've got a family…" Knuckles finally murmured.

"Yes you do," Ricky replied through a laugh, and he ruffled Knuckles' fur.

"I-I've got a family!" Knuckles ecstatically exclaimed, and he hugged onto Ricky, then Lorena's shoulders. Sonic and Tails joined in on this group hug. Everyone laughed and hugged, and Knuckles felt all the pressure and anxiety leave his body like bad energy being lifted away. His heart leapt with joy as he felt everyone hugging him and showering him with praise.

After they dispersed, nobody really felt hungry at the time, so they saved it for later and they all headed into the living room to watch a movie together; Lorena didn't mind. Knuckles stopped at the entrance to the living room and looked around, smiling. Now, he didn't see this place as a house… he looked at it as his home. The family was gathering at the couch in front of the TV. But his family wasn't just a family… it was _his_ family.

"See, I toldja' I'd get you into this family sooner or later!" Sonic whispered to Knuckles, before he walked past him and took a seat next to his dad on the couch. Knuckles stood at the entrance, a smile growing on his face. Sonic looked back at him and gestured him to come on over. Knuckles bounded over to them and sat next to Sonic, all 5 of them squished on one couch. They were a family now, and Knuckles felt happier than he'd ever felt before.

A few weeks later, Knuckles walked with Sonic to the bus stop and waited for the bus to get there.

"Did you finish your math homework, cuz if you did, can I borrow it?" Sonic asked Knuckles.

"Yeah, it wasn't too hard, and no you can't," Knuckles replied. "Not my fault you're a slacker," he added.

"Hey!" Sonic exclaimed, and he shoved his brother aside.

The bus pulled up and opened the doors to let the two boys on. They went to the back of the bus, to the last two seats across from each other, where they'd always sit. They'd practically claimed those seats. Like always, the bus was loud and the people were obnoxious.

Knuckles took off his backpack and rested it on the seat, when he heard some boy talking to another.

"Hey look, it's the cripple," one said.

"That the one that's stealing all the ladies?" the other asked.

"Yeah," the first boy replied. Knuckles sunk lower in his bus seat and moaned quietly in his throat. It was, in fact, true; almost all the girls in most of his classes would treat him like a baby. They'd offer to carry his books or lunch tray, or ask him how awful it must be to have only one arm; it got annoying, actually. All he wanted was to be treated normally. Of course, because of this, the other guys began to grow jealous. Over the last few days, he'd begun to hear people whispering things to one another about him. It was always how he was jacking the girls, and there were often colorful words used. The most common nickname he received was "cripple." Honestly, it hurt him to hear people calling him these names and telling these lies. It's not like he wanted the girls to bombard him all the time.

But then, something that'd never happened before, until now, happened. One of the two boys who were talking came and sat in the seat in front of him.

"Hey faggot, you'd better leave the girls alone, they aren't yours to take!" he said quietly, venom in his voice. Knuckles looked over at Sonic, but he hadn't noticed what was going on.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, cripple!" the boy said, recapturing Knuckles' attention. "I mean it, if you even speak to any of those girls again, you're dead!" the boy threatened. And then, before Knuckles could react, the boy built up some saliva in his cheeks and spat right in his face. Laughing, the boy got up and went back to his seat. Knuckles wiped his face and growled in his throat.

School was a living hell for Knuckles that day. Not only were the classes hard that day, but also, he'd been called names all day long by other boys. Normally, people wouldn't say stuff like that to his face, but now they suddenly thought that was a good idea. At lunch, Knuckles was walking out of the hot lunch line with his tray, when a group of popular girls came up to him.

"Hi!" one girl said kindly.

"Hello," Knuckles said quietly, looking down and continuing to walk. However, the girls followed.

"Do you need some help carrying your tray?" another asked.

"No, I'm fine, thank you," Knuckles replied. But then, as he walked by a table full of boys, one of them on the end stuck out his foot, tripping Knuckles. His food fell all over to the floor, and the guys at the table began to laugh. The girls knelt down by him.

"Oh my god, are you ok?" they all started exclaiming.

"I'm fine!" Knuckles said, beginning to grow a bit irritated, and he pushed himself up to his knees. The boys were still laughing at him, and others had joined in too, as he stood up and brushed himself off. He kept his back to them, because he didn't want them to see that he was about to cry. Not just because the fall had nearly knocked the breath out of him, but also because he felt humiliated. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists, then ran out of the cafeteria, to the bathroom. He could still hear the laughter from there, as he sat in one of the stalls and cried.

_Stay tuned to find out what happens next, in my second adaption to the story, A Boy in Need: I'm Still Out There. It'll be a different story, not added as a new chapter, so don't wait for anymore chapter son this story, ok? Coming soon, I promise!_

_Seya later, byes!_


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